Cycling replaces driving for local commuters

Davidson residents James Good and Ken Tippett don't need a calendar to tell them to get into the spirit of Bike Charlotte.

The annual springtime event celebrates bicycle safety and awareness in the Queen City.

Besides being avid recreational cyclists, Good and Tippett have incorporated biking into their daily lives.

Good often logs more than 200 miles a week by cycling every day to and from his Charlotte accounting office. Tippett is bicycle program manager for the Charlotte Department of Transportation, which means he's responsible for "making cycling a more viable option for people" in the city.

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They will participate in some of Bike Charlotte's events during its two-week run, some of which Tippett has had a hand in coordinating.

Tippett, 52, is such a bicycling advocate that he spent a recent weekend riding 165 miles to Stone Mountain, Ga., camping out for a couple of nights and riding back home. The ride took him six hours each way.

He and his wife own just one car between them, primarily used by his wife. Tippett said it's a lifestyle he adopted about 11 years ago, when he was living in Greenville, N.C.

At the time, he owned a small pickup truck, which he mostly drove a few miles to and from work. When his visiting brother said he would like to buy a similar truck, Tippett signed the truck over to him.

"I just rode my bike until I decided what (type of car) I wanted to get," Tippett said. "I still haven't replaced that truck."

Tippett took a job in Charlotte and moved to Davidson eight years ago. He still relies on his bike to get him to work, but only partly. He rides a couple of miles to Sadler Square, then straps his bike to a CATS bus, which drops him off within walking distance of his Charlotte office.

Tippett said he occasionally rides his bike from work to Davidson, which Good does practically every day. There are exceptions for Good, such as during bad weather or in the middle of a busy tax season.

Good, 30, started biking to work about three years ago. Already a fit 170 pounds, he shed 25 pounds in the first three months.

When he was seeking to buy his own office-condominium a year ago, one of the things he sought in an office building was a gym that he could use for working out and changing clothes after his hour-long commute.

"If you get on the highway in Davidson," he said, "It can take you an hour to go (to) downtown (Charlotte). If you go to the gym for an hour, then (drive) an hour home, I'm three hours into my day. If I ride, I don't have the cost of commuting, and I still come out ahead in the amount of time."

Good said he doesn't know how much money he saves by bicycling. He measures the return by figuring he fills his car with gas about every three weeks; that's three times less often than when he was driving to work every day.

Good's daily route starts on N.C. 115 and continues with U.S. 21, Statesville Avenue and Graham Street. His wife worries about his safety on that route, but Good said, "It's an easy ride."

Bicycle safety, of course, is one of the goals of Bike Charlotte, which started Saturday and is scheduled to continue through May 15.

Good and Tippett are both scheduled to participate in a couple of Bike Charlotte's casual rides. Good said he will compete in the Dilworth Criterium this Saturday.

Tippett will give a lecture on long-distance bicycle travel May 11 at the office of Charlotte NC Tours, a tourism group that provides tours of the city.